04/06/2026
Press Release
Worthing, 4 June 2026
Reform UK Worthing Group Opposes Proposed £2.4 Million Increase to Worthing Integrated Care Centre Budget
Reform UK Worthing Group has issued a formal objection to the proposed £2,420,310 increase in the capital budget for the Worthing Integrated Care Centre (WICC), arguing that residents should not be asked to cover costs arising from what it says are contractor and project management failures.
The group says the project is now around three years behind its original schedule and remains unusable, with the council report citing continuing faults in the building’s water system, including positive Legionella test results returned on 28 May 2026.
According to the group, the problems identified in the report, including insufficient water pump capacity, unlagged pipework, poor alignment, ‘dead legs’, and missing thermal actuators and monitoring sensors, point to fundamental design and construction failings rather than underfunding by the council.
Reform UK Worthing Group says the proposed increase would take the total WICC capital budget to £48.945 million, almost £15 million above the original 2021 approval, and warns that local taxpayers could face the consequences through higher borrowing costs, lost rental income and a longer break-even period.
The group is calling on the council to pursue recovery of the additional costs from those responsible, including the contractor and project managers, before any further public funding is approved.
In its conclusion, Reform UK Worthing Group says it supports the long-term aims of the Worthing Integrated Care Centre and recognises the value the facility could bring to local residents, but argues that residents should not be expected to pay for what it describes as avoidable failures in design, construction and project oversight, and is urging decision-makers to reject the proposed budget increase in its current form.
The contractor even had to take the unprecedented step of resuming control of the water system post-handover, which the report describes as “an unusual move”.
